Glory of Love
by Atlas Arrow
Summary: Sort of a songfic. When paying thier respects to the Horror four years after his death, Seance and Pogo run into a woman with an unusual story to tell. Horror/OC
1. Tonight it's very clear

Tonight it's very clear  
As we're both lying here  
There's so many things I wanna say  
I will always love you 

"I don't understand why I have to be here," said Séance irritably.

Pogo shot him a dirty look.

"If you didn't want to come," he said crossly, "Then you shouldn't have gotten out of the car."

"Now why would I do that?" asked Séance, "It's not like there's anything fun to do in there."

He took a long drag from his cigarette. Turning away in disgust Pogo said;

"Show some respect."

"Ben doesn't mind if I smoke," shrugged Séance, "Don't you Ben?"

There was no answer, at least not one that Pogo could hear. After a minute Séance looked satisfied and inhaled again.

"See?"

"Just because you** can** smoke at your brother's grave doesn't mean you **should**," snapped Pogo.

Séance shrugged again and Pogo sighed. He knew he was in for a bumpy ride when Séance had announced his intention to check into rehab. Of course, Pogo hadn't expected to drive him there, though he approved of his decision. It was just that the day that he had picked to go wasn't exactly the most convenient.

The anniversary of Horror's death had been two weeks ago, and on that day Pogo always tried to visit his grave despite, and possibly because, no one else did. That day a giant rat had attacked the mansion though, so he hadn't had the chance. Then with one thing and another things got out of hand. At least he was there now, even though it was after dark and on the way to check the resident sociopath into rehab.

He sighed and shifted his feet. Although there was a memorial of a sorts to him on the grounds of the manor, he'd actually been buried in an upscale cemetery in the City. Pogo had known that things were going to go downhill from there, and in the four years since he'd died things had fallen apart. No one knew where Vanya was, Rumor had gotten married, Kraken was somewhere in the City, and Spaceboy was leaving for the moon that Saturday. Séance…he should've been checked in years ago.

"We gonna be here long?" asked the man in question nonchalantly.

Pogo wished he had come to the cemetery on the way back. However, cemeteries late at night tended to creep him out. He usually went during the morning hours because of this very reason. There had been too many zombie invasions that the Umbrella academy had had to fight off for them to do otherwise. That was why, understandably, when he heard the footsteps behind him he turned around.

There was a woman standing there, blinking at them as though confused. She was wearing a long overcoat, perfect for the chilly weather. The woman looked as though she'd been prepared to be out awhile, since there were gloves and earmuffs to match. Her eyes, still blinking, were an odd shade of blue.

Odder still was her hair color. Pogo had made it a policy of his never to speak to people concerning their hair color, not after living with Rumor's purple hair for so long. However, she had a kind of dark amber color that was unusual for any normal person. From one angle it might be blonde, from another a light brown.

However, what really caught his attention was the bag of cookies poking out of her tote bag. It was _Keppler's Chocolate Cream_. _Keppler's _was a middle class cookie brand, nothing special. During his life they had been Horror's favorite, and putting that together with her appearance at her grave…it was more than just a coincidence.

Even Séance had turned to stare now. Looking embarrassed the woman took a few nervous steps back.

"Ah, Academy," she said, "I'll, I'll just be going then."

She took a few more steps backwards. As she moved away though Pogo saw Séance swat the air irritably. His face scrunched up into a scowl before muttering;

"Fine."

He looked up to see that the woman was still backing away.

"Hey, you!" shouted Séance to her.

"I'm leaving, I'm leaving!" she said, putting her hands into the air, "Didn't I just say that? Geez…"

"Klaus," snapped Pogo, "You don't just shout at people."

Pogo turned to the woman with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, Séance doesn't have wonderful people skills," he said.

"Yeah, that's what I've read," she said, still backing away but now eyeing Séance as if he were uranium.

"Aw, come off it!" Séance said, jerking his thumb to Horror's grave, "Not gonna do anything. It's just squid boy here says to tell you glory be. Whatever the hell that means."

The woman froze. She looked between Séance and Pogo for a minute, her lips moving wordlessly.

"I can talk to dead people," Séance said helpfully.

"Yeah…yeah I know," she said, "But, glory be? That's exactly what he told you?"

"Uh, duh," Séance said, "Now what-"

He was interrupted as the woman burst into tears. Glaring at Séance Pogo moved forward. He paused before her awkwardly, not quite sure that he knew how to do this.

"You uh, you knew Ben?" he asked gently.

Nodding the woman wiped away her tears with her gloved hand.

"It's complicated," she sniffed, "And…well, kind of personal."

Reaching into her tote bag she took out the cookies he had seen earlier. Sidestepping Pogo and Séance she placed the bag on his grave. Sniffing again she said to the air in general;

"Thanks. Really means a lot to me."

She turned back to the stares of both Pogo and Séance.

"He can hear that, right?"

"Yeah, but what's that all about?" asked Séance.

"Like I said, personal," she said, "Now there's somewhere I need to be-"

"Hey, he was my brother," Séance said irritably, "And hell, I didn't need to tell you what he said. Thinkin' you owe me somethin' here."

For a moment the woman looked like she was about to smack him. Then she sagged visibly.

"So maybe I do. But look," she said, "it's a very long story."

"I'm not goin' anywhere," Séance said.

Pogo ached to contradict him, but he was curious now to. She gestured with her arm.

"You can listen," she said, "But you have to follow. I need to get…it's kinda on the other side of town-"

"We've got a cab," Pogo offered.

"I prefer to walk," she said scornfully, already moving fast out of the cemetery.

Sighing Pogo trudged after her. Séance was close behind as well, his hands shoved in his pockets. The woman, seeing that they were following, rolled her eyes.

"So, I guess it started about five years ago…" she began.


	2. Say things I might regret

I would never leave you alone  
Sometimes I just forget  
Say things I might regret

"Is that him?"

Glory rolled her eyes.

"Yes Gina," she said, picking up some books from behind the counter.

"I knew it," Gina said smugly, "Totally your type."

"And the fact that I pointed him out to you **so** you'd know means nothing at all?" she asked, arching her eyebrow.

Gina grinned at her smugly.

"Not a thing."

Rolling her eyes again she started to walk out from behind the counter. She had known that it was a bad idea to talk to her younger sister about him. However, Glory had a face like an open book and even more expressive eyes. It would be impossible to hide something like this from her for very long.

It had all started about two months ago. She'd just started working at the downtown library, and had been getting comfortably settled in to her new job. On the Tuesday of her fourth week while shelving she had felt like someone was looking at her. So naturally she'd looked up to see if someone had needed help, as so often happened with the outdated card catalog system.

Instead she spotted a man trailing behind a woman with purple hair. The woman had been throwing book after book for him to carry, which he was bearing up rather well. Glory would've thought that he'd have passed out from the weight. He didn't strike her as being particularly strong. After all, someone whose both hair and skin pale didn't ring synonymous with strong in her mind. There was something pleasing about the overall effect of it though.

He was looking at her like he was surprised, which was in turn making her wonder if there was something on her face. When she returned the look though, he quickly turned back to his ever-increasing burden of books. Glory had then felt a touch embarrassed, and found herself wondering if maybe she should've put her hip-length hair up or worn make-up.

Then she just felt more embarrassed for thinking that. It didn't matter if it was a library, Italian restaurant, garage, or any of the other fifteen million jobs she had held down in her adult life. The bottom line was that, from her observations of others, flirting with patrons got you in trouble. Shaking her head she made sure to return to what she's been doing.

However, her next task was manning the check-out counter. As it happened that was where he and the woman were headed, and she was treated to his face turning somewhat pink at seeing her. Testing the waters somewhat she smiled at him, and inwardly laughed as the pink shade deepened. So much for not flirting.

"Now it says here you've got two overdue books," she'd said, pulling up the computer with the girl's card.

"No I don't," she protested violently.

Raising her eyebrows Glory checked her account again.

"Look Miss," she peered at the screen, "Liddell. It says you've got overdue books here, and you're trying to check out your maximum amount. That means you're going to have to put two of these ones back. Policy."

The girl's eyes narrowed.

"Well I heard a ru-" she started.

"Sis," pleaded the man as he put the books down on the counter, "Not now."

Shooting him a dirty look she had said;

"Well what do **you **suggest?"

"Just use my card," he sighed, digging it out of his pocket.

So the woman got her full amount of books. Somewhat mechanically Glory had said;

"Have a nice day."

The man, whose card revealed him to be Ben Liddell, had then turned an even deeper shade. This made her smile more, which made him blush more. After that his sister had piled the books back on him and dragged him out. While it had made for an interesting distraction, Glory hadn't thought anything more of it, until the next week.

Ben had come in and stayed at one of the tables reading. After an hour or so he had checked his watch, and then got up to the counter. She used his card and said casually;

"So, no sister this week?"

"Ah…who?"

"Allison," she said, smiling, "She was here last week. You know, you're sister."

"I…I've got a lot of sisters," he said nervously.

"Only one with you then," she pointed out, trying not to laugh.

"Uh, of…f...f course," he said, chewing on his tongue, "She's fine. Doesn't need any more books though."

"Well," she'd said, "Just make sure she turns 'em in on time. Don't wanna have to charge you any overdue fees for her mistakes."

"Yeah, of course," he said, "I mean, sure thing. Yeah."

He'd then taken his book and all but fled out of the library. Over the next two months a sort of acquaintance had taken root. Glory had gotten to know him from the books he took out; _Cookie Baking For Beginners, Knitting For Dummies, Great Expectations, History of European Kings and Queens, Oliver Twist, Invisible Man, _and _Catch 22_. From this she'd been able to make recommendations, and his speech had gotten a little more coherent with more contact.

"So," Gina said, rubbing her hands together maniacally, "obviously the attraction's mutual. Now all I need to do is give you a shove out the door. Mwahaha!"

"Gina," Glory said firmly, somewhat irritated because she hadn't planned for her sister to follow her to the shelves, "the absolute last thing I need right now is a seventeen-year old planning my love life."

"Don't get so high and mighty," Gina said, tossing her hair, "You're only twenty one."

"And that's four more years than you've got," she said slotting the necessary books into place, "So don't go playing matchmaker with me."

"Aw, you could use this," whined Gina, "Look, with that amberish hair like yours and those eyes you could've had eight boyfriends this week!"

"That's under a day per boyfriend," remarked Glory.

"That's all you need," replied Gina suggestively.

Glory finished with her books and gave her sister a long stare.

"Perhaps I should be watching you more closely," she said, "After all, you've got those same hair and eyes too."

"Not talking about me," Gina sang out, "And I don't have anywhere near as much hair as you do. Besides, you've got a crush on him too, right?"

"I don't think-"

"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight?"

"Kinda?" ventured Glory, not wanting to give her sister too much fuel.

"Alright then!" said Gina jovially, slapping her on the back, "I've got to get going now, but don't think that I won't ask how this went. See you next Saturday, and I expect progress!"

Without another word Gina promptly turned and skipped out of the library. A few of the other librarians shot her dirty looks, but she proceeded like they weren't there. For Gina, they might not have been. That was how she lived her life; like no one was looking. Glory had long ago given up on trying to restrain her.

Looking over at Ben she felt a slight blush come to her cheeks. So what if she had a crush on some guy who came in now and then? He was having trouble with conversation as it was. If she actually asked him out the poor boy would probably faint. Sighing she bit her lip. More than ever she wished she'd just kept it from Gina.

However, something was going to have to go down sooner or later and sooner seemed to be the chosen time. She'd lied earlier, just wanting to make sure that the awkward conversation wouldn't persist. In all honesty Glory did have somewhat bigger of a crush than she had let on to her sister.


	3. It breaks my heart to see you cryin'

It breaks my heart to see you cryin'  
I don't wanna lose you  
I could never make it alone

Horror knew he was being the textbook definition of stupid. Kraken would probably call it being a dumbass before laughing at him. Admittedly it was pretty weird to come to the same library just to have a seven minute conversation with the pretty librarian. It wasn't like she was always at the check-out counter either.

He also knew that his methods uncomfortably mirrored stalking, especially since he wasn't entirely certain that he was ever going to ask her out. It wasn't like he was well-versed in that subject, and again with the whole stalker thing. Shuddering he peered over the book that he was reading. She was at the counter now, and he decided that it would be a good time to check out _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_.

Getting up he took a deep breath before approaching the counter. He placed his book and card on the counter and looked up. Shockingly he could see that there were tears in her eyes. Thoroughly alarmed he stumbled over his next few words.

"You…you okay?"

She looked up, surprised.

"Yeah," Glory answered, "Just got one hell of a paper cut."

"Oh," he said, looking in the direction of her gaze, "That does look nasty."

Indeed it did. It ran practically the whole length of her index finger.

"Stupid _Hardy Boy _books," she said, "They use the sharp paper. Sorry, if you'll wait a moment, gotta get a Band-Aid. I don't want to bleed all over-"

She stopped as he pulled out an industrial sized Band-Aid and a swab from his pocket. Without another word he wiped up the blood and put the Band-Aid over the cut. Two more Band-Aids followed to secure the first.

"That oughta do it," he said brightly.

Glory stared at him.

"You just…randomly carry around medical supplies?"

Horror flushed.

"I'm uh, clumsy," he answered.

There was no need to go into Séance's new self-mutilation habit.

"Well, thanks," she said grabbing his book and card, "You know…I'm on my lunch break in eight minutes if you're not doing anything."

Nodding Horror wondered why she'd told him that.

"There's this café that does this great latte not too far from here," she said, looking at him hard.

Once more he nodded.

"Yeesh," she said, "Been awhile since I did this. But…coffee? You me, eight minutes?"

There was a pause.

"Coffee?" repeated Horror stupidly.

"Yeah, that's what I said," Glory replied.

She bit her lip. It was only then that he realized that she was just as nervous as he was. He sighed, trying to figure out a way to express himself that didn't sound too awkward or stalkery.

"I get it if you don't want to," she said.

"Nononononono," he said, his words running together, "Eightminutesisperfectwithme. Perfect. Perfect."

Glory smiled and he felt something melt inside.

"Alright then," she said, handing him back his book.

With hands that were, to his great delight, trembling only **slightly** he took it back. Still not believing what he'd done he went back to his seat and tried to read. It was only when he realized that he'd read the same line eight times that he stopped and put it down. The remaining minutes passed slowly until at last Glory came up to him.

"Ready?" she asked.

Nodding he got to his feet and walked out the door. The café was really only a few minutes' walk from the library, which was great because Horror had no idea what to say. It was only after they'd ordered that he felt like he needed to talk about **something**. However, Glory beat him to the chase.

"So what do you do?" she asked.

"D…do?" he stuttered.

"Yeah," she said, sipping her coffee speculatively, "We both already know my job."

She gave a wry smile and Horror quickly tried to come up with a believable lie.

"Law enforcement," he said, which was true enough.

"No kidding," she said.

Something inside him rebelled at the way she looked at him.

"You don't believe me?" he asked.

"Well," she said, putting the coffee down, "It's not entirely unbelievable. I mean, you're certainly built enough for…"

Glory trailed off and hid her blush with an immense gulp of coffee. From the twitch in her left eye he could tell that she'd burned her tongue.

"Mph, but you just seem too nice to arrest anyone," she finished.

"Maybe. Usually I leave that bit to my partner," he said.

"So they're doing good cop bad cop parings now?" she asked.

"Guess I got lucky," Horror grinned, thinking about how she had essentially summed up Kraken.

She took another sip of coffee.

"Sorry the conversation's lacking," she said, "I haven't done this in a while."

"Neither have I," he lied, "But at least we're off to a good awkward start, eh?"

Glory smiled.

"So," he said, "Glory's an unusual name."

Her eyes narrowed.

"If you're about to make any puns then I think I'm gonna have to leave right now," she said irritably.

"Nonononononono," he said, partly upset that he was starting to stammer again, "I wasn't going to."

Her eyes returned to their natural width.

"Sorry," she said, "But if you had any idea about the number of guys who've…never mind. Thing about my name is that it was a close shave. It was nearly Gloriana, but my Dad told my Mom that everyone would just call me Glory so they should just cut to the chase."

"Gloriana?" he asked, interested.

"My Mom has this thing for the Tudors," she said dryly, "My sister wasn't as lucky as me. We call her Gina, but her full name is Regina."

"Wait," he said, crinkling his eyebrow, "Glory, Gloriana…Regina…"

His eyes widened.

"Don't tell me-" he started.

"Yep," Glory replied, "Good old Queen Elizabeth I. Otherwise known as Gloriana or Elizabeth R, and as we all know the R is for-"

"Regina," finished Horror, "And I thought my family had weird motivations for names."

"Allison and Ben?" asked Glory, "They're not odd."

"My Mom flipped randomly through a baby name book and picked the first ones she saw," Horror explained.

"Didn't your Dad mind?"

"Don't think so,"

She laughed and Horror found himself liking the sound. They continued talking about everything and nothing until she checked her watch and found out that her lunch break had ended.

"Sorry, gotta run," she said, throwing her cup into the garbage, "But, maybe we could do this again sometime?"

"Yeah, definitely," he said, knowing that he was beaming.


	4. Fight for your honor

I am the man who would fight for your honor  
I'll be the hero you're dreamin' of  
We'll live forever

"…so that's why I think Russian Folk Dancing should be in the Olympics."

Glory glanced up from the shelves and saw Ben and someone she'd never seen before walk into the doorway. She smiled at Ben who returned it, albeit while looking somewhat stressed. Frowning she looked at the ginger-haired man standing next to him, who could've been his brother for the semblance. She wouldn't know about that though since Ben rarely talked about his family.

Since the cup of coffee two months ago they had gone out several times. It had never been anywhere particularly fancy, and she was glad about that. Glory really couldn't afford anywhere like that on her current salary. Her sister always asked about these things, and Glory tried to suppress most of the details. If her sister was so interested when she had a crush, well, she couldn't imagine what it would be like if she admitted that she was falling for him.

"Klaus, could you just keep quiet?" he pleaded, "Just a little."

"Why should I keep quiet?" he asked loudly.

Three librarians shushed him at the same time.

"I'm shuttin' up, I'm shuttin' up! What's with these people? You'd think we were in a library," muttered Klaus.

"We are in a library," said Ben miserably, face palming, "Now if you'd just stay here for a minute-"

"No problemo."

Ben fixed him with an exasperated look before he darted off to the counter. Amused she recalled that he had a few overdue books, probably belonging to his sister. She chuckled to herself as she put another book in its place. Since she was still junior at the library most of the menial tasks fell to her; like shelving.

"Excuse me," a voice cackled evilly behind her, "I think I dropped something; MY JAW!"

A few more shushes were made as she whipped around. Klaus, the weird goth boy who had been with Ben, was standing behind her with a look that made her squirm.

"Try the lost and found," she said coldly, picking up the remaining books and attempting to leave.

"Okay, let me try another one," he smirked, effectively blocking her way out, "How about…ah! I'm new in town; could you give me directions to your apartment?"

Glory made a face. Was this guy high on something?

"Look," she said, still trying to step around him, "I've got a lot of work to do right now-"

"Why do you keep moving like that? Stand still so I can pick you up," he complained, still blocking her.

"Could you just-?" she started, having a hard time being polite.

Instead of answering he picked up a section of her hair. She jerked her head away but it only resulted in her hair getting pulled.

"Ow!"

"You're like a pop tart," he said, examining her hair minutely, "Get it? 'Cause you're cool but hot. Nice hair by the way."

Thoroughly irritated she smacked his hand away. He withdrew as she said;

"What the hell is your problem?"

His eyes narrowed. Never one to give ground she glared right back.

"Not nice to hit people-" he began evilly.

"Klaus!"

Ben loomed behind him and took his shoulder.

"Back off."

"Can't you come back at a more convenient time?" he complained.

"Klaus," repeated Ben, "Stop it."

"You know," Klaus replied, turning around to face him and placing his hands on his hip, "You always come and ruin my fun when-"

"Go home Klaus," Ben said angrily, "Just go home, okay? Looks like Pogo was right; you really can't go anywhere without acting like a jackass."

The room stilled. Glory had never heard Ben swear before, and apparently neither had Klaus from the look on his face. His eyes narrowed even further into slits and for a minute Glory wondered if something awful was going to happen. Then Klaus grinned and said;

"Sure thing squid boy!"

Then he abruptly twirled and swayed towards the exit. The two of them watched him go until he was out of the door. Before she could think the comment through Glory said;

"Who was that freak?"

"My brother," responded Ben miserably.

Immediately Glory felt like she could slap herself.

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't be," Ben replied, "He's out of control. I don't know what to do about him anymore, I just don't."

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable she said;

"I didn't want to make a scene."

"You didn't. **He** makes a scene," Ben said, "And don't worry about it; he'll have forgotten about even going out when he gets home. Usually I just take him out of the abut…rea when he does that but…"

He trailed off and looked at the floor. Glory didn't have to be told what he would've finished the sentence with. She felt touched at his feat of gallantry, even though she had been considering hitting Klaus with a rather hefty dictionary she was shelving which would have taken care of things handily.

At the same time though, she wondered. From what she had gleaned he, his brother and sister at least lived near each other. That coupled with his reticence to talk about his home life didn't bode well. Until then she had simply assumed that everything was fine and fairly normal. Now though, she wondered if perhaps she had judged that prematurely.

Obviously his brother was on something. The comment about forgetting the incident clinched it. Allison seemed like a real bitch from the few times she had seen her. His parents seemed indifferent at best. While Ben was twenty-five, it still sucked to have a fucked-up home life like that. Glory wondered if perhaps they were more alike then she'd already known.

"There's not much I can do about it these days-"

Leaning forward she kissed him lightly on the lips. Despite their dates, they hadn't really gotten this close before. Ben had always shied away from most physical contact, just like he had from conversation at first. It was like he was too worried that anything he tried would go wrong. After a few brief seconds she pulled away, pleased at his flushed expression.

"What…what was that for?" he managed.

She put her hand on his shoulder and gave a small smile.

"'Cause I think you deserved one."


	5. Knowing Together

Knowing together that we  
Did it all for the glory of love

"It's depressing."

Horror looked up briefly from his book and saw Glory leaning on the opposite edge of the table he was sitting at. He smiled faintly at her.

"That's how you sum up what's probably the most famous Shakespeare play?" he asked, "It's depressing?"

"At least I'm honest," she said, taking a seat across from him, "I don't go on and on about how symbolic it is."

"I thought you were supposed to."

Glory raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you're the librarian and all," he teased.

She smiled at him. He wondered where this ease that he talked to her with now came from. It certainly wasn't present in the first few days of their relationship. Instead it was something she'd coaxed out of him. Of course, by kissing him so unexpectedly that day in the library Glory had served to set herself back.

Or at least she had for the first few days afterward. Horror himself was surprised at the speed in which he had begun relaxing around her again. He was also somewhat embarrassed at the speed in which he found himself wondering if the kiss was going to repeat itself. Even now just thinking about it made him blush somewhat, but still. The experience had been, besides his incredible nervousness, pleasant.

"I've got the wrong job," she said frankly.

Horror blinked at her. This was the first time he had ever heard her express dissatisfaction with her job. He'd always been somewhat cautious of bringing up anything too personal or anything to do with family. The fear that he wouldn't be able to keep up the various half-truths he tells her has always been present in his mind on these occasions, so he'd never asked so that she would never ask.

Now he wondered if perhaps he should've.

"Then why do it?" he asked before he even knew what he was going to say.

"Pays the bills," she shrugged, "Don't get me wrong, I like it here. But…anyway, getting off topic here."

She tucked a section of her hair behind her ear as Horror wondered whether or not he should continue to pry. Before he could though she said;

"People always go on and on about how romantic _Romeo and Juliet _is just because they die for each other at the end. No one thinks that _The Tempest _is as romantic just because everyone ends up happy."

"Not true," he said, knowing that there was no returning to the previous topic, "I mean, that's not why I think it's more romantic anyway."

"Oh?" she replied, raising an eyebrow, "Do tell."

"It's just…well…" he said, collecting his thoughts for a minute, "_Romeo and Juliet _always seemed like real-life while _The Tempest _seemed more made-up."

"Putting aside the magic in _The Tempest_-" she began.

"I am putting aside the magic," he said, not quite aware that he'd interrupted, "And the fact that these people met and fell in love in the same moment then decided to get married the next. It's just…"

He looked down at the print and gave a half-smile.

"I like to think that people do that," he said, "Care about each other that deeply I mean. Yeah, the whole thing was this great ironic tragedy fraught with misunderstandings, but life's like that sometimes. Then there's this duality with the fact that Romeo murdered Tybalt but he really loves Juliet and she finds that she can't hate him just because he killed her cousin. It's so complicated and strange and quite like real life in that respect."

Horror waited as Glory regarded him with her bright blue eyes.

"You're odd, you know that?" she asked, "Odd and wonderful."

The faintest tinge of a blush started on the tips of his ears. He could tell from the familiar burning sensation.

"Seriously," she said, "You can't get that kinda thing out of a high school or college class. Or did you?"

"Never been to college," he said, "We studied it in the third grade but I got a C- on the paper. Too emotional."

Glory cocked her head and he wondered what idiocy he'd just spouted.

"The…**third **grade?" she repeated incredulously.

"I mean the sixth," he corrected quickly, berating himself for letting on.

"Okay," she said, although he could tell that she wasn't entirely convinced, "But that must've been a long time ago for you anyway."

"Not that long," he said, glad for the chance to change the subject.

"Uh huh. You're what, twenty-two?"

"Twenty-four, nearly twenty-five," Horror said.

"You look younger."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"And when you say nearly, how nearly?" she continued.

"Uh, Thursday of next week."

There was a pause, followed quickly by a sigh from Glory.

"Might've wanted to know that sooner."

"Why?" asked Horror.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if we're from the same world," said Glory in a joking manner, "We've been going out for awhile, and by that point special events are considered something that everyone should know about. My birthday, for instance, is August telling me that yours was next Thursday, since it's a lot sooner, would've been good."

"Why?"

Horror tried to make sure that his honest confusion was coming through. From the way she was looking at him he was wondering if maybe Glory thought he was trying to make a joke.

"Birthdays are important."

"…not so much with my family," explained Horror, now feeling nervous.

"Low-key then?"

"Not exactly…"

"What about your friends?" she asked.

"Um…"

That 'um' says it all though. He can see from her face that he's living up to his name and she's somewhat horrified. A feeling that soon she was going to ask a question, a big question, stole over him. That particular question was going to have to be answered in a way that would lay bare everything; what he really did, who his family was, who** he** was.

When that question was asked, he knew he was going to have to answer it. Then she would leave him and he would send other siblings to get him books for the rest of his life. Seeing her after losing her would be too much for him. That was the only possible outcome to the situation, and one he was finding highly undesirable. Unsettled to the core of himself he swallowed hard.

"We're just going to have to change that," she said, her expression flipping suddenly from shock to cheerfulness, "Alright, next week on Thursday; dinner. It's your birthday, and honestly I should pay, but I don't get paid 'til Friday so…got it!"

She snaps her fingers, a gesture which nearly makes Horror faint from the sheer influx of emotions.

"I'll cook," she said, "I know that sounds totally cliché, but…yeah. My present to you, another lovely little trite expression. Anyway, I'll pick you up at the library. I don't live too far from here, so we can just walk. How does that sound to you?"

He blinks.

"Guh…guh…great," he managed.

Glory smiled and looked down at her watch.

"That's my break time over," she sighed, getting up, "Okay, see you Thursday?"

It was all Horror could do to nod. Walking over she leaned down so that she was right next to his ear.

"We've all got something in the past we don't want to talk about," she whispered, "If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. I'll never ask you to."

Pressing a kiss to his forehead she hurried off to the check-out counter. He watched her until she was out of sight, when his gaze slid back down to the book on the table. As he had spoken to Glory the pages had moved to words which he found to be, in the very least, horribly prophetic;

"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."


	6. You keep me standing tall

You keep me standing tall  
You helped me through it all 

Glory found many times in the following week to wish that she had not invited Ben over. It had been an idea she had been toying with for a bit before the invitation, but never one she had seriously considered. When she had broached an uncomfortable topic though, she had been thinking only of escape and perhaps a way to see him smile. She could've smacked herself for it.

Gina had simply laughed when she told her. Even for a teenager she had an odd under-appreciation for other people's woes. After a long phone conversation though, she had agreed to come and help Glory clean her apartment. 'Help' was perhaps rather a strong word though because when she got there it appeared all she did was make snide remarks such as;

"Surprises me to no end you want your baby sister helpin' you create a romantic atmosphere Be."

The childhood nickname was added hastily when Glory had glared at her. It had been a sure way to try and soften up the conversation, but that didn't stop her sister from rubbing her the wrong way during a stressful time. While Glory did love her sister quite a bit, she was now thinking about a convenient spot where she could bury her.

However, the week had passed quickly and that was how she found herself with Ben sitting on the couch which, with the coffee table, served for kitchen chairs. The apartment looked like it was suitable for human habitation, something which had worried her greatly. The food was something she hadn't had to worry about, since Ben apparently liked barbecue pork sandwiches. It had always been something of a favorite with her sister, so she knew that dish inside and out.

Watching Ben eat it was something of an education though. He was the only man that she knew of, or woman for that manner, who could eat a barbecue pork sandwich neatly.

"The barbecue on this is great," he said, wiping his fingers, "What brand is this?"

"It's not a brand," she said, feeling somewhat embarrassed of her own sloppiness, "I made it."

"You can makebarbecue sauce?" he asked.

"Oh yeah," she said, not understanding the question at all, "You just take some vinegar, and I know a lot of people use cola but I prefer-"

"No, I mean you know how?" he rephrased.

"Yeah," she said, "My Dad was a chef at this one restaurant. When I was too young to be home alone he used to bring me and my sister with him. The manager had a similar problem, so he didn't mind us being there. Gina never really liked it, but I got into it."

Ben cocked his head.

"What about your mother?" he asked, "Did she work too?"

"No," Glory replied, her voice getting a little quiet, "Well, she did, but she uh, she died when I was five. Drunk driver."

"I'm sorry."

"No, no," she said, "I never really mentioned her except that one time and there was nothing I said to give you a hint about it."

Glory sighed.

"I mean, it was a long time ago," she said, "A really long time ago. But my Dad was really in love with her, and I don't think he ever really recovered. Looking back on it, from the stories he told and all, it's a wonder that he didn't just give up. Then again, he had the two girls to raise and all, so I don't suppose giving up was an option."

"He sounds like a great man," observed Ben.

"He was," agreed Glory, "Always made time for us, no matter how many shifts he worked. That was tough, since Gina managed to land all the leads in all the school plays. He helped us with homework, and even came with me to get my first homecoming dance dress. Nothing was too much."

"So he taught you how to do this?" he asked, gesturing at the food.

"Yes and no. I kinda learned by doing. The first day I started cooking I was about seven," she said, "He was making fresh pasta and he'd missed an ingredient. I was standing next to him and I reminded him about it. You should've seen his face. He was so happy when he found out we shared a passion, I mean; he just dove into teaching me how to do it. He tried to teach Gina too, but she was more of a performer and preferred to watch. We had a lot of fun together though. He used to joke all the time about us opening a bakery together, since pastry was what he was really into."

She stopped again and closed her eyes. Glory felt Ben's arm fall across her shoulders and she leaned into it.

"Is he gone?" he asked.

"Aneurysm," Glory said, "I was fifteen."

No one said anything for awhile, and Glory settled herself into the crook of Ben's neck.

"Fifteen," he repeated, "What…what did you do after that? Where did you go?"

"We went into foster care," she replied, "Gina's still in it. She visits on the weekends. I know he would've wanted us to stay together, but let's be realistic. I'm a librarian who's only just found steady work with a decent wage; I've got no college experience, and no real career. Not to mention I lack the funds to hire a lawyer even to try to get custody. So I just save up some money to help when **she** makes it to college. She's a lot smarter than I'll ever be, so she's got a good shot."

"Well what about you?" he asked quietly.

"Maybe I'll make it to culinary school one day, maybe I won't," shrugged Glory, "Maybe I'll get that bakery, maybe I'll be a four-star Michelin chef. Until I know for sure I've got to just keep going and hope for the best."

Her eyes open and a feeling of guilt stole over her.

"Oh God," she muttered, pulling away from him, "Here I am, on your birthday of all days, just yakking about myself. I mean, how frickin' conceited can I get-"

"Glory," laughed Ben, "You might've noticed that I didn't stop you? I didn't want to."

Smiling an odd smile he continued;

"Now, I know that it's my fault we don't know much about each other's personal lives. I…I'm kinda reticent to talk about mine, so I tend to discourage you talking about yours. But, I like hearing about yours. I like knowing more about you."

Glory felt an odd tightening sensation in her stomach. Her heart was thrumming uncomfortably in her chest. Feeling a little odd she bit her lip nervously.

"You okay?" he asked.

Without another word she tilted her head up so she could kiss him. Unlike last time he got over his nervousness quite quickly and responded by wrapping his arms around her. Thrilled at this she wrapped moved her arms to the back of his neck and deepened the kiss. She was half-sure that he squeaked a little when she wormed her tongue past his lips, but once more he seemed to get over that rather rapidly.

What happened next was rather more unplanned. Apparently Ben lost his balance and fell backwards. This put Glory in the rather odd position of resting on his chest at the same time she was running out of air. Pulling away she noticed that while his face had turned beet-red, his hands hadn't moved from her back.

"What was that for?" he asked breathlessly.

She paused for a minute. One would think that, as a librarian, she would have words for this. There would be some sort of clever, antique quote from a book for her to use. It would be magical and poetical, saying everything she had wanted to say and more. However, like she had told Ben a week ago, she was in the wrong job. So she simply breathed out;

"I think I'm in love with you."


	7. I have always needed you

I'm always strong when you're beside me  
I have always needed you 

Ben stared at Glory, her mouth still framing the frank admission. She stared back at him as a few strands of her hair that she had tucked behind her ear came loose. They tickled his nose, but he tried to look as serious as he could. He had messed so much up in his life already that he had no intention of messing this up.

"I mean," she stammered, "I know I am. I thought I was a few weeks ago and…then...I know that we haven't been together for very long…but…"

She trailed off and sagged.

"I'm such a moron, aren't I?" Glory said, "I mean, obviously we don't really know each other and-"

Desperate not to hear her finish the sentence he moved one hand behind her head and shoved it downwards to meet his lips. A few months ago he probably would've fainted at the thought of doing something so outrageous. Instead he felt only a pleasant, while still somewhat dark, feeling in the pit of his stomach. That coupled with the intense joy at her admission must've been the best feeling he'd ever had.

They broke off the kiss and she breathed out.

"That was…unexpected," she laughed nervously.

"Glory," he said, wondering where he was getting the confidence to say all of this, "I know we've been together for only a few months. I know this because it gives me a thrill whenever I think about that time with you. But…it feels like longer. It feels like I've known you for years. Sounds cheesy but there's no other way to say it. The fact that I even went out with you says something about my comfort level."

Her eyebrow shot up and he realized that the last comment warranted some sort of explanation.

"I get very uncomfortable around people I don't know," he explained, "Only time I'm able to act like a normal person is on the job…but…when it comes to others…I don't. I'm not close to people really and I have this really bad habit of dissolving into broken sentence…as you know…like I'm doing now."

Horror swallowed.

"I've actually got a bit of a confession to make," he said, "You…you're my first girlfriend."

Glory looked at him in honest surprise.

"I know it sounds really weird," he said, "But…anytime it looked like something like that might happen with someone I'd extract myself from it. But not with you. It…it just felt like I knew you. I don't think I should've been so surprised that I fell for you and…and I'm going to stop talking right now before I embarrass myself anymore."

A slow smile spread over her face.

"You. Are. Adorable," she said, crossing her arms across his chest and resting her arms there, "Sometimes I just have to wonder, are you for real?"

"I am most definitely here."

"That's what I mean," Glory laughed, "Any minute I'm going to find out that you're a serial killer in your spare time."

"A a a a what?" exclaimed Horror, "I…I…me…as…as a…can you imagine me killing anyone?"

Laughing Glory planted a kiss on his nose.

"Nah, you're right; I can't. It's a figure of speech is all, like a comparison," she said, "It just means you're too good to be true. You've got to have some sort of deep, dark secret that ruins everything."

Part of him was urging him that now might be the best time to tell her about the whole Umbrella Academy business. At the same time, he was in a position that he had only ever dreamed of and telling her the one thing that could mess it up was far from his mind. So instead he just smiled blandly.

"I just didn't know they made guys like you is all," she said, rearranging her head so it fit snugly into the crook of his neck, "Or I wouldn't have given up on the dating scene as long as I have."

Resting his hands on her back he remarked darkly;

"I'm not perfect."

"Who is?" she shrugged, either not hearing the tone in his voice or choosing to ignore it, "I'm satisfied with pretty close."

.

.

.

"So what happened next?" asked Gina eagerly.

"We talked for a bit more and then he went home," shrugged Glory as she finished her hamburger, "What do you expect? It was a weekday and I had to get to work."

"You are so boring," Gina said, rolling her eyes and picking up a fry.

"And you would prefer me as 'exciting'? Your sister?" asked Glory, raising her eyebrows.

"Point taken," admitted Gina, "But that sounded like it was leading somewhere…so if there's something you're not telling me, and I'd totally understand if you weren't since I'm your little sister and all-"

"Drop it will you?" Glory snapped, "Ben's a perfect gentleman."

"Yeah, and he's still a guy," said Gina, "But I'm dropping it, I'm dropping it. So how's work coming?"

"Boring. The hours are long and the pay should be better."

"Why do you stay then?" asked Gina.

Shrugging again Glory reached for her soda.

"Apparently the library's ben a hotspot for villain activity in the past few years," she said, "At one point there was an infestation of Vampires, Mole men, mutated plants, and a few things I can't pronounce. Not at the same time, but within a few years of each other. Rumor has it the place is cursed."

"And you wanna work there?" Gina said incredulously.

"I'm getting to that bit," explained Glory, "You see, because of this the insurance and job security is phenomenal. My health insurance policy makes me **wish **I'd die just so I can get the pay-off. It's over a quarter of a million."

"Well don't you go dying on me," Gina said sulkily, "But if the place really is cursed-"

"It's not," Glory interrupted, rolling her eyes, "It's just had a run of bad luck."

"Sounds cursed."

"Whatever."

The two sisters ate their lunch in relative silence. Finally Gina said;

"Just one thing I wanna say about this Ben-"

"Here we go."

"It's not about that," Gina said, waving away her earlier comments, "I just wanna say, it looks like he makes you happy. I mean, really happy. And that's great. There's my opinion on the matter, for what it's worth."

Glory smiled.

"You know what?" she said, "He does. He really does."


	8. I could never make it alone

I could never make it alone  
I am the man who will fight for your honor

"You're reading a lot lately," Kraken remarked nonchalantly, "Why is that?"

Horror looked up from his book and blinked. He was currently sitting in the living room with one of the four books he'd gotten from the library the day before. Kraken was leaning against the staircase and twirling a knife like someone would wind a piece of hair around their finger.

"What else is there to do?" he asked innocently.

Kraken cocked his head at him and Horror felt like he was about to lose his lunch. Of course someone would notice the increase in books that were coming in. He felt so stupid, but when the librarians looked at him weird for spending so much time with Glory he felt he just **had **to check something out.

"Lots of things," he said, "You also seem a lot happier lately."

"Must be the reading," Horror said brightly, "Broadens the mind."

"Uh huh," Kraken said, raising an eyebrow, "Have I ever told you you're a terrible liar?"

"About eight times a day," laughed Horror uneasily.

Rolling his eyes Kraken said;

"You must think I'm stupid, don't you?"

"I never said that."

"Of course you didn't Ben, because you don't say things like that do you?" Kraken snorted, "But seriously, you think I wouldn't pick up on something like this?"

"Don't know what you're talking about," Horror said.

Once more Kraken rolled his eyes.

"Remember what I said about the God-awful lying," Kraken said.

Horror threw on a face of benevolent incomprehension. It was the closest thing to lying that he could actually manage to pull off. Kraken sighed, frustrated, and stuck the knife into the stairway railing.

"Look this is a friendly heads-up," snapped Kraken, "If Space-ass or Sir Dickhead get wind of it you're gonna be in deep shit, you hear?"

"I'm not doing anything wrong!" Horror protested.

"So you admit to doing something now eh?"

From the feeling creeping into his cheeks he could tell that he was flushing.

"Whatever. Look, they're not going to see it that way," Kraken said, "I'm guessing you feel normal with her, probably haven't even told her who you really are. I guess you also must've missed the memo but we're not allowed to have lives outside of doing this shit. Yeah, it's not fair but that's the fucked-up deal we've got and you've got to deal with it. Live in the real world."

Horror felt indignation rise up. Before he knew it he heard himself say;

"Bullshit."

"Excuse me?" asked Kraken.

"I said bullshit," Horror said, deciding that since he'd already signed his death warrant he might as well put a postscript, "That's not how any of us live our lives and it's not how it's supposed to be. So I think I'll go be selfish."

Kraken looked surprised, but the feeling was mutual. Horror had never spoken to anyone in his life that way, let alone the one in the family who would as soon cut you as look at you.

"It's not worth it," Kraken said, finding his voice again.

"I'll be the one who decides if it's not worth it," Horror said, again half-thrilled and half-terrified that these things were coming out of him, "I've lived my whole life worrying constantly about getting hurt and now I'll go and take a little chance."

Throwing his hands up in the air Kraken said;

"Fine, fine," he said, "You think you know everything about the world, don't you? Probably think you have this whole thing figured out. I'll just leave you to go and 'take a little chance' with some fucking moron of a girl who'll rip your heart out. Then you get to come home and get everything kicked out of you by the resident control freaks you fucking moron."

Turning to leave Horror felt something rise in him. Séance hadn't gotten away with treating Glory like that for a reason; Horror knew it wasn't fair and it wasn't right. Seeing Kraken insult her, even though he'd never met her, was decidedly worse. Then there was the fact that a lecture like that, coming from him, was the most hypocritical thing he had ever heard with his life. That's why he blurted out;

"Like you **think** you did with Vanya?"

Kraken stopped his assent up the stairs. Then he turned around slowly and picked the knife out of the bannister.

"Not quite sure I heard that."

Horror was speaking on pure anger now and rose to his feet. Kraken didn't understand anything about him; he was in love with Glory, needed her, and was more than willing to fight for her.

"Vanya didn't fuck that up, you did. It's not the other way around. You took her for granted, ignored her, and basically fucked up her life beyond repair. She had a chance at being normal, normal do you hear? And you ruined that for her because she loved you and you abandoned her when she needed it. **That's **why she doesn't come home for Christmas and **that's **why she never tries to get in contact. So don't keep trying to play the fucking victim."

Horror folded his arms and glared at Kraken. With a deliberate calm in his voice Kraken said;

"So you love this girl huh?"

He was somewhat thrown back by this question and decided that it didn't deserve an answer. His reticence was something of a giveaway itself though and an ugly smirk appeared on Kraken's face.

"Everything in our life crashes and burns whether we do it ourselves or not," he sneered, "And I'll make fucking sure that yours goes down like the fucking Hindenburg."

"What're you going to do?" Horror said, feeling nervous inside but still holding on to some of that residual anger, "You won't tell Hargreeves or Luther. Not your style."

Kraken's eyes narrowed.

"I'm creative. I'll think of something."

A flashing light went on and the automated voice message rang out;

"Giant Squid attack at 4th avenue."

With Kraken's words echoing in his mind Horror raced downstairs to get into gear.


	9. I'll be the hero

I'll be the hero you been dreamin' of  
We'll live forever

Glory fought the urge to fall asleep. Wednesdays at the library were always pretty boring, and the middle of the week feeling would claim the employees. Ben had already told her that he probably wasn't going to be able to visit. In other words, the monotony would continue until moral improved.

She needed to go off and take some of her sick leave. It had been accumulating slowly but surely. Not that she was counting, but she was pretty sure that she already had around two months. One of the benefits in working in a place no one wanted to be anywhere near was the generous sick leave.

Yawning she got up and went into the break room. No one would notice if she took a little break for five minutes or so. She just needed enough time to get a cup of coffee, just to keep her going. That's what she would tell the head librarian if he came by. Glory planned on feeding him something about having a sleeping disorder. That had always worked with her teachers.

As she walked in she saw several of her coworkers crowded around the old black and white T.V. set kept there for…no reason in particular. Interested she gravitated over it;

"One hour ago the Umbrella Academy responded to a call that an experiment including a squid had gotten out of hand at 4th avenue," the television reporter said, "But it turns out that this was just a precursor to an attack by the dreaded Captain Vapor who has been on a crime spree since last week."

Yeah, Glory had heard about that. She didn't watch the news exhaustively, but she did keep up on current events.

"In the past his dreadful vapors have allowed him to escape despite the best efforts of the Academy. Now though, he seems to be in a battle to the death with the Academy. It's been raging up and down the city and I can tell you that the air is just crackling here with the sounds of-"

There was a scream in the background.

"Oh my God," the reporter said, "It appears that the Kraken is leading him away from the main group. Is this some sort of ploy to lead him into a trap? I certainly hope so, since he's leading him into an area of commerce up towards Skyline lane."

Glory could've heard a pin drop. The damned** library** was on Skyline lane. As one her coworkers got up and pushed their way to the door. Taken by surprise Glory dived out of the way of the human flood. She heard the effect of the mass exodus on the patrons. It wasn't surprising. The library did have something of a reputation, and would probably act like a stupid magnet. If she was smart then she'd get herself out of there as well.

Getting to her feet she headed out of the break room. Most everyone was already out and she was looking for the nearest exit when the front doors shattered. Scared now, she dived behind the front desk and covered her head. After a moment she peaked out of her hiding place to ascertain what was going on.

Kraken was standing in the middle of the library, brushing glass off of himself. In front of him was a man with a metallic diadem that revealed his face and a high collared cape. Numerous tubes ran from some unknown source and disappeared in gauntlets around his arms. Quickly Glory jerked her head back behind the desk and tried to control her breathing.

No way was this happening to her. This couldn't be happening to Glory Maria Evans, the girl who had taken a job in what was known to be a cursed building for the pay benefits. Stuff like this didn't happen to a girl who had just barely managed to make it through High School. This was the stuff of comic books and **it did not happen to people like her**.

"It was foolish of you to come here," she heard Captain Vapor cackle.

Squeezing her eyes shut she tried to keep as quiet as possible. There was no way in hell that she was looking up over the counter anymore. She wasn't that stupid.

"I'm not the guy whose cape looks like it could slice off his ears," Kraken snapped.

There was an explosion and Glory curled up. Her knees were tucked firmly under her china and she muttered frantic, wordless prayers silently.

"You decided to go and lead me here," he said, "Do you have some sort of secret plan?"

"Eh, maybe."

Glory winced. She could **hear** the shrug.

"Well, whatever it was, I bet you weren't expecting me to do **this**!" Captain Vapor roared.

A hand shot out from the other side of the counter. It gripped her throat and dragged her across the desk and into the air. Glory started to choke from the pressure and she put her hands around Captain Vapor's hand to try and loosen his grip. Suddenly he slammed her into the desk and she hit her head so hard that she saw stars.

"What do you say to that?" asked Captain Vapor triumphantly.

"I'm sayin' that's unoriginal."

Glory scrabbled at the hand around her throat. She had never planned on dying like this, in a cursed library that paid the bills in the middle of some weird superhero squabble. She'd always planned on doing other things than dying, just little things; like getting married, watching her sister graduate.

Gina was going to graduate in a week. She had been looking forward to it, so excited to see her clever sister graduate as the Valedictorian of her class. She was going to have to work through college to pay for it yeah, but she was going to make it. Glory had scraped and saved to make sure that she could do the first year, and Gina had worked and earned the scholarships.

A determination steeled over her. She was going to see it. She was **not **going to die like this. One of her hands stopped fighting Captain Vapor's face and reached around on the desk. Around the same time that Kraken finally started to move forward she found a stapler. Pulling it apart she rammed the stapler into Captain Vapor's exposed forehead.

She heard the metal click into place and Captain Vapor howled. Kraken rammed his knife into his other arm and Glory was let go. She hit the floor solidly and scrambled out of their way. Still she held onto the stapler. It was the only weapon she had and she intended to staple something rather more southerly than the forehead if he came back to her.

Another set of footsteps followed and she looked back just in time to see Horror burst through the doors. One of his tentacles shot forward before it was grabbed expertly by Captain Vapor. Twirling it around his forearm he jerked Horror forward and tossed him against one of the book shelves. The book shelf remained standing, but several of the heavier volumes rained down on him.

Now nearly to the exit Glory paused. It was obvious that the hero wasn't going to get any help from his brother, who was having some fun trying to cut open the villain. The hand with the stapler in it fell limp. She looked from Horror to Kraken and to Captain Vapor, then back again in a roundabout circuit.

This was none of her business. She didn't belong in this crazy world and she certainly didn't want to. However, she had been raised a certain way. Her father had had great faith in the nobility of the common man. He believed that when people were pushed they would do the right thing and help people.

Cursing her upbringing and morals she rushed over to the fallen hero. Days shelving those heavy books had given her a good ability to be able to toss books around like they were paper cups. Quickly she managed to get them off him.

"Hey, are you-?"

Her voice trailed off. Now that she was close to him, she could see him clearly. His mask was over most of his face, but it couldn't obscure such familiar features. He regarded her with wide, frightened eyes as she stared at him. When she spoke her voice came out flat;

"Ben."


	10. We did it all

Knowing together that we  
did it all for the glory of love 

That was it. The cat was out of the bag. She knew. It was over. After that Horror wasn't at all sure what he was thinking. Those four, clipped thoughts just kept repeating themselves in his mind. The only other things he was aware of were her deadpan expression and the sinking feeling in his stomach.  
Then something else happened that made him momentarily forget what had happened with Glory. Kraken crashed into another bookcase, knocking this one backwards towards them. Without a second thought Horror grabbed Glory and jerked her out of the way. The book case fell down mere seconds later where they would've been.

He turned back and faced Captain Vapor just in time to get something sprayed in his face. Horror couldn't help but breathe in and suddenly he felt like throwing up. Ignoring it he pummeled his fist into Captain Vapor's face. The villain stumbled backwards, then reached out and grabbed Glory's hair.

She jerked forwards and into the cloud of haze. The stapler she was carrying in one of her hands came up and rammed itself into his neck. Captain Vapor growled and ripped it from her hand. A second later a knife slip out of his gauntlet and positioned it right on her jugular vein. Horror stared at him as the villain cackled.

"Human shield, human shield," he said.

The sick feeling in his stomach was replaced by cold fury. Tentacles shot out of his stomach. One whipped the Captain's legs out from under him and the other took Glory out of his grasp. Another tentacle came down and wrapped itself around the Captain's waist. Then he brought the man up into the air and pounded him downwards again and again until he was satisfied that the man was suitably unconscious. After that he let him go.

With a much greater degree of gentleness he let Glory down. Then he turned to Kraken who had just unearthed himself from the books. He smirked at Horror.

"That her?" he asked, "Little too pretty for you, don't you think?"

Horror's fists clenched.

"I was right then. Good," Kraken continued, "Payback's a bitch, innit?"

Very slowly Horror released a breath.

"I. Will. Deal. With. You. **LATER**," he said, "But right now I have more important things to do."

Turning his back on his brother he approached Glory.

"I uh, we need to talk," he said, "In…in private."

"I should say we do," she replied quietly.

Without another word they went out the exit of the library and into the back alley. Nervously he started to wring his hands, waiting for her to say something. Upon realizing that she was waiting for him, he sighed.

"I…I would've…told you eventually," he managed.

"Really?" she asked skeptically.

"…probably not."

He watched her as she rubbed her temples. Miserably he took off his cowl and said;

"Da-Hargreeves thought it would be better if we used pseudonyms for anything official and…and…library cards counted…I didn't want to scare you away…"

His voice faltered.

"I'm sorry."

Glory put up a hand to stop him.

"I didn't sign up for this," she said, "I thought I was going to date this awkward nice guy I met at the library. I never signed up to date a superhero and…and…this isn't what I wanted. I don't want this but…I just want…"

Miserably Horror looked to the floor.

"I…I can't do this right now," said Glory, "I need to…to think about this. I need to get out of here, I need to just…to know…I want-!"  
She stopped and shook her head.

"Meet me Friday at the café," she said, "I'll tell you what I want then."

Turning on her heel she strode out of the alley, leaving Horror in abject misery. He stayed in that state for two days. Every minute was agonizing, making things much worse since Kraken wouldn't stop gloating. Horror didn't have the energy to try to shut him up. The anger had gone, replaced only by the fact that he was about to lose the best thing in his life.

On Friday he didn't know why he even bothered to drag himself out of bed. However, he had an appointment to keep and he was going to do just that. So he took a table outside and ordered a black coffee. The lack of sleep was coming on strong now, combined with the misery he'd been experiencing, was not good.

.

.

.

Glory had not made her decision. She had thought about it time after time, every minute, and she didn't know what she wanted. She had thought about it when she was filling out the forms to receive her job insurance, guarantee of a job once the library was repaired, etc. and she still didn't know. That was why she was so afraid when she approached the café.

She saw Ben from a distance stand up and throw a coffee cup in the trash. He hadn't seen her yet and she continued to watch him for a minute. Every memory of their time together filtered through her mind like an old slide show. Glory remembered when he told her he loved her after she had said those words to another man for the first time in her life. She remembered the dozens of stammering sentences, the shy glances up at her from his books.

Then he looked up. He saw her standing there and stopped dead. She could see him swallow nervously. Then, in that same gentle voice she'd always known, now dripping with melancholy, he said;

"Glory."

Without another thought she rushed forward and flung herself into his arms. She couldn't leave him, and she was a fool for thinking that she could. Doing that would cause irreversible damage to the both of them, she understood that now. Standing on her tip-toes she pressed her lips to his briefly before saying;

"I know what I want. I want you."

The smile that came across his face, that complete change of his demeanor, was worth any hardship.


	11. From a long time ago

Like a knight in shining armor  
From a long time ago

Glory was honestly worried about Ben. A week and a half had passed since she had found out about his secret identity and their relationship was going well. However, she had noticed that he had started to get drastically thinner and dark circles had appeared under his eyes. Whenever she asked him about it he would just shrug off the questions.

From her position in the kitchen she watched him on the sofa. He had told her that he wasn't very hungry that night, but she had insisted that he eat **something**. This was the main reason behind the soup that they had just finished. Ben had barely touched it, but right now she planned on playing dirty.

"And here comes dessert," she said, brandishing a bag of _Keppler's Chocolate Cream_, "They're your favorite, right?"

"C'mon Glory," he said, "You aren't being fair."

"Just have one or two," she said, "You can take the rest home."

She opened the bag and held one out temptingly. Sighing he took it.

"You'll be the death of me," he said jokingly.

"I'd rather hope not," she grinned.

He took a bite of it and leaned back into the sofa. Stretching one arm into the air he wound it around her. In response Glory leaned into his shoulder.

"You actually have Gina to thank for those," she said, "I was getting off work and she'd picked some up. I told her they were your favorite…and she knew you were coming over. I guess now that things are getting serious she wants to get on your good side."

"She's your sister. She's **already **on my good side. Speaking of her, how's she settling into her new place?" he asked, finishing his cookie.

"Pretty well," replied Glory, "Her and her friend are splitting the rent for the apartment, so it's all good. It also gives her an opportunity to get acquainted with the area and find a job."

She paused for a moment.

"You two should meet sometime," she said.

"I'm not adverse to it," shrugged Ben, "But from what you've said she seems like she's a little…rowdy."

Ben used the last word uncertainly. Glory laughed and snuggled closer. As she did so she couldn't help but notice how bony his shoulder was now.

"I'll tell her to tone it down," she said, "You know how little sisters are."

"Nah, I don't," Ben said, "Closest thing I had to a little sister was Vanya. I don't know where she is now."

He sounded wistful. Looking up Glory asked tentatively;

"You lost touch?"

"More like she cut off all contact," sighed Ben, "Hargreeves let her go pretty easily. She didn't have any powers you know. So when she decided to leave…she just left. I should've seen it coming, but I didn't. Even if I had I couldn't do anything about it."

His other arm wrapped itself around her.

"I think she needed to leave really," he said.

"People shouldn't leave their family," Glory said stubbornly.

"Sometimes things get out of control."

"Well yeah, but they shouldn't."

Ben breathed out.

"What happened was-"

"You don't have to tell me," she said quickly, "It's probably none of my business-"

"You've told me all your business," he pointed out.

"Mine was a little less…"

"Depressing?" volunteered Ben, "No, both our lives have gone down the drain at one point or another. I mean, I've told you nothing about my past and you need to know some of it. You told me everything about yours. So…just let me tell you."

Glory nodded slightly. He held her a little closer before continuing.

"I don't know everything. Something you have to understand about my family though…we grew apart as we grew up. I mean, we were never really chummy but I remember a time when we could be in the same room together and be okay. But as time went on our differences were more pronounced. Vanya and Diego, that's the Kraken to clarify, were always close. I'm not sure when, but she fell for him, hard."

He sighed.

"I don't know exactly what happened. But I think they were together for a while. She honestly thought he could do no wrong and he was one of the only ones in the house who treated her like she was worth something. She depended on him more than was healthy. So when he made a promise to run away with her and left her standing, I think something snapped."

Glory didn't say anything as Ben closed his eyes.

"She came home once more after going abroad directly after the incident," he said, "I was the only one at the house at the time, and I watched her go through what can only be described as a nervous breakdown. I couldn't help, she wouldn't let anyone near her. When Kraken came back from his mission with the others, she treated him like he wasn't there. She never spoke a word to him, never acknowledged him. Then she severed all contact when she went off."

Ben snorted.

"What's worse is that he thinks he's the victim in this," he said, "I don't think he gets it. Luther and Allison don't care either. Klaus might've cared once but he's fried himself with drugs. We're not really a family, just an odd collective. If I died tomorrow they wouldn't care."

"I would though," Glory said quietly, "It sound cheesy, but I would."

She chose her words carefully.

"That's why you've got to go see a doctor," she added, "You're sick, I can definitely see that. And…I don't want anything to happen to you, do you hear?"

She felt his hand behind her head as he tilted her head up to kiss her.

"God I love you," he murmured.

"I love you too," she said, "Just make sure you see that doctor, 'kay?"

He smiled.

"Already saw a specialist, one under Hargreeves' pay," he said, "They'll tell me what's wrong tomorrow. But don't worry about it."

He kissed her on the forehead.

"Now, how about some more cookies?"


	12. Take you to my castle far away

Just the time I'd save the day  
Take you to my castle far away

"The test results came back in," Hargreeves said, his back facing the seat that Horror had taken.

Horror regarded him warily. Spaceboy stood in a corner of the room, looking at Horror with a stony expression.

"And?" asked Horror.

"I have a question to ask," Hargreeves said, ignoring Horror's question, "Did Captain Vapor douse you with anything?"

The question shocked Horror, but ever the obedient one he answered;

"Yeah, I think so. It made me feel a little nauseous but it went away. Why?"

"Ah," Hargreeves muttered to himself, as though pleased at solving a complex riddle.

"Why?" repeated Horror.

"You've got an odd little disease one of his own blends I believe," he said casually, "It's attaching itself to your DNA and breaking it down piece by piece. In about a month it will have completely destroyed you. It's not contagious, but it's very deadly."

Horror felt his stomach clench. He swallowed hard.

"So…what do I do?"

"I beg pardon?"

"Is there a medication I can take or a surgery or-" started Horror.

"My dear boy," interrupted Hargreeves, "The technology to even examine this disease has just been invented, let alone something to cure it. In a month's time you will simply die."

Horror's mouth dropped open. He searched for words and the wild idea that this was some sort of joke came to him. It was unlikely considering who he was dealing with, but it was more plausible than what they had told him.

"But…I…I can't…this is just…" he stammered, looking from Spaceboy to Hargreeves.

Suddenly he realized that this wasn't a joke. This was it; this was how it was going to end. It was inevitable, there was nothing he could do, nothing to try. Burying his head in his hands he fought back a sob. His life was over, at twenty-six he was going to die with nearly nothing to show for his time on earth.

At the same time he felt furious. His terminal diagnosis had been delivered as though it was a lecture on not wiping his shoes before he came in. These people didn't care about him, they never had. They weren't even going to **try**. Futility and anger fused together into utter despair. Despair bred a melancholy feeling in him, one that led to a plan.

"I have one request then," he said very quietly.

"Yes?" asked Hargreeves.

"I want one month of leave," he said flatly, "Say that I've gone on a mission or something, just give me one month."

"You want what?" asked Spaceboy.

"I know I have money in my account, I'd like to take that and get out of here for a month," elaborated Horror.

"A road trip would simply make you die faster," Hargreeves said clinically.

"I don't want to do a road trip. I'll just find a place to hole up," Horror said.

"Permission granted," shrugged Hargreeves.

Feeling heavy Horror got up and headed towards the door.

"What is it you want to do so badly?" asked Space.

Horror turned to face him, bitterness consuming him.

"Isn't it obvious?" he spat, "I'm leaving so I can die in fucking peace."

Without another word he left and strode to his room. He knew quite well where he would be going. Once they had saved a small lake-side town from a giant bat creature. He had thought that it was the most beautiful place in the world. There were a few cabins near the lake; open to rent. He wouldn't need one for very long after all.

Running on bitterness and the need to get away he threw a few things into his old duffle bag. Then, taking some time to think things over, he pulled out a few pieces of paper. Forcing himself to slow down he wrote a letter to each of his siblings. He felt like every second was draining him, taking away precious time.

Finishing he put them in a manila folder and sealed them. Horror placed it on his bed after writing instructions for them to be distributed after his death. It was the closest thing to a will that he wanted to leave behind. There was only one more thing to do now, and he didn't relish it at all. Now he had to go and say goodbye to Glory.

She was surprised to see him at her house at that point during the day. He could see her eyes look over his suitcase and the car in the back. Still, she let him in as she always had. There wasn't even a flicker of hesitation. He could see her worry build though as he asked her to take a seat.

For a minute after he told her what was wrong she just stared. After that minute though, she dissolved into tears. Feeling heavy Horror sat down beside her. Her head leaned into his chest and he held her tightly. After a few minutes he explained to her his plan for the next month. She pulled away from him incredulously.

"You're dying and you want to be **alone**?"

"I don't want to be **here**," he clarified, "I just want to be away from this City, just get some sort of peace for a little while."

Glory looked at him. He felt her hands twist into fists, pulling parts of his shirt along with it.

"Let me go with you," she said.

He looked at her, shocked. The thought of bringing her with him had crossed his mind, but he had dismissed it as something much too terrible to ask.

"I...you can't ask to watch me die."

"I'm not asking you goddamnit!" she snapped, "You can't just leave me here and go off to die alone like there's no one who cares about you. Because I care about you, I love you and I don't want that for you…I just wanna be with you…'til the end…"

She began crying again, burying her face in his chest.

"Do you not want me there?" she asked after a while, "Are you afraid that I'll get it or something?"

"No, it's not contagious," he said, holding onto her even closer, "I want you with me. I want you with me."

Glory looked up, her eyes determined.

"Then take me."

Horror nodded. Glory got up immediately and headed to her room. He saw her throw some things together, anything she could lay her hands on from what it looked like. Horror left her alone when she called her sister, but even that was brief. Within twenty minutes she was walking out of her house with him, her hand clasped tightly in his.


	13. Gonna live forever

I am the man who would fight for your honor  
I'll be the hero that you're dreamin' of  
Gonna live forever

Very quietly Glory got into bed. There was no reason for her to worry though; Ben was a sound sleeper. Sometimes she would go into the den and find him asleep in a chair so still and quiet that it would make her heart freeze. She would have to force herself to make sure that he was still breathing, since she knew each time that the possibility existed that he could not be. So far though; everything had always been fine and all that had happened was that she ended up giving him a blanket.

The situations were repeating themselves more and more frequently. He was getting thinner no matter how much he ate, which wasn't much because he was never very hungry. What little he ate he usually threw up. Glory had tried to compensate by giving him vitamin supplements she'd bought in town, but she knew she wasn't a doctor and they probably weren't doing the trick.

Ben shifted in his sleep, subconsciously making room for her. She snuggled in close to him, her head tucked under his neck and the fingers of one hand resting on his shoulder. Since coming there two weeks ago she hadn't had contact with any others, including her sister. Glory had never been rich enough to afford a cell phone and the cabin didn't have anything resembling a land line. There was no TV and the only form of entertainment they had were books from the local library.

Strangely enough she didn't feel like she was missing out. Days would go by where they would simply take walks together, although never very far. Sometimes they would sit by the lake and eat something she'd cooked up. During the night she would coax something of a fire in the small fireplace and they'd read something. More often they would wrap themselves in each other's arms and talk about everything and nothing for hours on end.

It was in moments like these that she could forget that he was dying. Glory could imagine herself on a honeymoon with him, or perhaps just an intimate vacation. However, something would happen; he'd cough or have trouble breathing, she'd feel a bone in his arm she hadn't felt before, and the illusion would be shattered.

Glory had been careful that he would never see her cry. She had made that decision when they he had driven them down there; one hand on the steering wheel and the other twined with hers. It was a testament to her resolve that she had kept it together when all she wanted to do was break down and sob in front of him.

Instead she kept it in and swallowed it back. However, she knew she would have to let those tears out sometime. When she finally did let go though she locked herself in the bathroom and cried mutely into a towel. She did it in the very early hours of the morning or when it was so late that it was almost morning.

Very gently she brushed her fingertips over his forehead. It was becoming bony now just like the rest of him, and his eyes were never as carefree as they had once been. The knowledge that he would inevitably die much sooner than he had ever dreamed of had burdened him. Glory wondered if perhaps he felt exactly the way she did, if he pretended the way she did, and if he did his crying and let out his bitterness where she couldn't see.

Still being gentle she withdrew her fingertips and tried to get to sleep. She had just begun to doze off when she heard him whisper;

"Hey."

"Hey yourself," she murmured back, "Little late innit?"

"A little," he admitted, "But I've been awake for a little bit too."

"Thought you were asleep," she mumbled.

"Nah," he replied, propping himself up with his elbow so she had to roll sideways, "I just had my eyes closed. I was just thinking about things."

Her mouth feeling dry Glory asked the one question which was so innocent taken out of context;

"Like?"

Ben smiled at her and instantly Glory knew that it wasn't what she had feared. It wasn't about his disease or his oncoming death. No matter what he had been through or what had changed him, Glory knew that he wouldn't smile about something that would hurt them both that deeply.

"Just things," he shrugged.

He paused a minute before continuing.

"That day that we met," he said, "I was just there to help my sister carry her books you know. I'd never been to that library before, never been inclined to."

"I can hardly believe that Mr. Avid Reader," she said.

As she spoke she moved herself closer to him. The heat that his body gave off was very little and suddenly she became horribly aware of their proximity. She hadn't been like this since the first night where they'd both fallen asleep almost immediately on the bed. He'd been too unwilling to let go of her hand and she to be away from him for long.

"There's a library at the Manor," replied Ben, smiling, "It's not exactly an extensive selection, but it was enough to keep me satisfied until then. Our library cards were just formalities in case, since Allison was never satisfied with the collection. It also proved the perfect rendezvous for her and her boyfriends."

Glory laughed. Still smiling Ben reached out and brushed some of her hair away from her face.

"I wouldn't have gone back if it had been anyone but you at the desk," he said.

"If that's not an original line than I don't know what is," she said sarcastically.

Secretly she was rather touched though. If it were any other man the line would've sounded cheesy; contrived. With him it simply felt like the truth, and her heart started pounding as though it were trying to tell her something. It didn't help at all when the hand brushing the hair away from her face lingered so that it was cupping her jaw.

"You were just really bright," he said, "And I thought; why not take the chance?"

Worming her hand from its original position she placed it on top of his. She looked at him straight in the eye, attempting to communicate the seriousness of her next statement.

"I'm glad," she said simply, "I'm glad you did."

When it came his laugh was somewhat bitter.

"You're glad?" he asked, "Glad for all the hell I've put you through, all the hell I'm putting you through, and what…what's coming next?"

Briefly Glory closed her eyes and guided the inside of his palm to her lips. While his words had surprised her somewhat, she'd known that that was what he'd felt in some form or another. She also knew what she wanted, what she'd always wanted in a sense. She kissed the inside of his hand softly before saying;

"Can't be hell. You're here."

Before he could protest she wrapped her other arm around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss that left no opening for it to be chaste. Her other hand slipped under the shirt he'd worn to bed. He moaned slightly and pressed himself closer to her, but simultaneously breaking off the kiss. Ben looked at her then and she stared back.

This time her eyes were able to communicate her message so much better. Glory could quite clearly see the recognition, understanding, and mutual feelings echoing in his own eyes. He dipped his head in lower and she arched her body against him. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck, never wanting to let him go but knowing; deep down and in the very back of her mind, that she would soon have to.


	14. The glory of love

_**A/N: **Yeah, this chapter totally sucked to write. I kept thinking about that one song "Halleighluiah" when I did it. There's only one more to wrap this up though._

Knowing together that we  
Did it all for the Glory of Love  
We'll live forever

Horror woke up every morning to the feeling of his body dying by inches. It was a slow, painful process. It was like every molecule was a rat jumping a sinking ship, like his very DNA was being unwound. No matter how many pain killers he downed he could still feel the odd lightening behind his eyes and the hollowness of his bones. His muscles were atrophying quickly, and he knew that it wouldn't be long at all now.

The second he opened his eyes around a month after he first heard his grim diagnostic he knew. Feebly he tried to lift his head up but the only result was a swimming sensation and then he laid back; exhausted. It took an excessive amount of strength and concentration to move his arms, and the space between each blink was an eternity. Yes, he knew that death was just around the corner.

Glory knew too. He didn't know how she knew so early in the morning it was still dark outside, but she did. She didn't say anything though, just kissed his lips and his forehead. For a minute he thought he saw tears in her eyes, but she blinked and they were gone. Her forehead pressed against his and he could feel her tightened breathing on him.

There was no sign of panic, just calmness, probably for his sake. She was strong, much stronger than he deserved. Weakly he labored until his hand rested on hers. She gripped it tightly, but not overly so, mindful that his skin bruised easily now. Then she settled back into his embrace with her head on his chest.

Hours passed after that, neither of them saying a word. Every now and then Glory would get up and get him a glass of water or go to the bathroom, but she tried to stay in his arms for as long as she could. He knew it couldn't be comfortable for her; he was breaking out into a cold sweat and shivering uncontrollably. She had turned up the heat to no avail and despite the fact that her own skin felt like fire she remained with him.

The clock continued to tick and Horror felt himself draining away. It most certainly wouldn't be long at all now. With more effort than he had ever used for anything in his life before, he turned his head and placed his lips on her forehead. Then, in a strangled whisper that he barely recognized as his voice, he said;

"There's an envelope in my suitcase," he said, "It has instructions for the…afterwards. Who to call…that sort of thing."

She nodded but didn't say anything. Swallowing he sought the words that he had wanted so very desperately to say to her.

"I would've spent the rest of my life with you."

Her arms around him tightened.

"Met Gina. Said to hell with the Academy. Married you," he murmured, "Had children. Seen that bakery of yours open and fought over Shakespeare plays. I'd give anything, anything at all to have been able to-"

"Shhhh," she said, tilting her head so that she could look him in the eye, "I know. I know."

Glory paused for another minute before saying in a choked voice;

"And I would've said yes. In fact I still say yes."

She kissed him again and settled her head over the pulse in his neck.

"I love you," she said, "More than I've ever loved anything, more than I ever will love anything. I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered, "I love you too."

It was once more dark outside when Glory felt the pulse in his neck stop, but she didn't pay attention to it. She was in denial, and the longer she could go on as such the better. Seconds later she noticed that his breath stopped stirring her hair. She didn't move though, not for another hour, not until the body had been chilled with death and she was absolutely certain. Trembling, her fingers gently closed his eyes.

With a terrible presence of mind she got up and got dressed. She had something to eat, what it was exactly she couldn't remember. It wasn't as though she tasted any of it. Then, mechanically, she brushed her teeth and found the envelope in his suitcase. Numbly she read the instructions and made the required calls. Getting her things together she loaded them into the rental car before going back into the cabin for one last time.

In a dream-like state she reentered the bedroom. The instructions had told her she should be gone before Hargreeves arrived. Though the instructions hadn't said it, it sounded like Horror had been scared that he would end up hurting her or saying something horrible. She fully intended to fulfill his wishes, having no inclination to meet the man that had tormented her beloved so in life. Besides, she had already been hurt enough in the past hours to sustain her even if she lived for thousands of years.

Tenderly she ran her fingertips over a forehead that was just a skull with thin skin stretched over it. She covered him with the blanket up to his chin, why she wasn't quite sure. Then she leaned over and kissed him on the thin, stiff, cold lips that the disease had left him. Quietly she turned off the lights and left the cabin. Her hands fumbled with the keys for a few minutes before she turned on the ignition and started driving.

She drove for hours. Despite the fact that it was now nearly the next day, she only stopped once to fill up the tank with gas when it ran to empty. She wasn't tired, just hollow. The man behind the counter had looked at her oddly and she knew it was because of her dead face. However, she didn't mind. She knew that it didn't matter anymore what he or anyone else thought. It really didn't.

When the sun first came up into the sky she reached her destination; Gina's new flat. Glory wasn't sure what had propelled her to the place; she just knew that she couldn't return to her old home. She probably couldn't even return to her old job now. No, it wasn't just a home or a job; she couldn't return to her old life.

After ringing the doorbell she heard her sister move around on the other side of the door.

"Angela? Did you forget something? You're not supposed to be back for another three weeks-"

Gina's voice stopped abruptly as she took in her sister. Glory didn't know how she looked, didn't care, but the absolutely horrified look on her sister's face gave her a momentary twinge of emotion. The girl was worried about her, about what had happened to her. However, she was a smart girl. It didn't take more than eight seconds for her to figure out what had happened.

"He's gone, isn't he Be?" she asked.

There were no words as Glory collapsed into her sister's arms, all but screaming. Tears that she had fought since the previous morning spilled out, fighting for their newfound freedom. They flowed into her mouth; choking her slightly. Quickly Gina caught her and shut the door behind her. Then the younger sister just held on to her, knowing that there were no words to comfort her.


	15. We did it all for love

Knowing together that we  
Did it all for the Glory of Love  
We did it all for love...

Four years later Pogo stared mutely as the woman finished her story. Her mouth was set in a hard line and the hand not hanging on to the tote bag was clenched tightly. Pogo turned to Séance, who for once had something other than indifference on his face. Swallowing a few times Pogo asked;

"And…and what happened next?"

"Next?" laughed the woman bitterly, "You wanna know what happened next?!"

Before Pogo could answer she said;

"That bastard father of his, if you can call him that, comes down the very next day, how he found out where to look I have no fucking idea. Offers hush money then gets offended when he gets thrown out."

She opened a rusty gate. Séance and Pogo blindly followed her, but they were having some trouble now. Her strides were long and furious.

"Disgusting, absolutely disgusting."

There was a pause where the woman ran her hand through her hair. Séance shoved his hands in his pockets and said;

"And?"

"And," she repeated, "And. Can't get enough of this can you? Psychos and bastards, the lot of you."

Evidently she had long ago abandoned her fear of the two of them. Pogo noticed this and said gently;

"You've already told us more than I know you were inclined to. You don't have to say another word."

"You're fucking right I don't," she snapped.

Once more she ran her hand through her hair.

"And," she muttered, "And."

Rounding on them she demanded;

"You wanna know and? Well why the fuck do you think I'm here?!"

Uncomfortable Pogo took a step back. It was then that he noticed his surroundings for the first time. Grave markers were evenly spaced around them and he saw that the woman was standing in front of one. She shifted slightly so that he could see the inscription on the headstone clearly;

Glory Maria Evans

1954-1976

Hasten, oh blessed hour of our reunion

"She got some of that vapor shit too," Gina said, "Breathed it in when he was attacking the library. From what they told us she got less of it though, so it took much longer to show up."

She reached into her tote bag and pulled out a bouquet of flowers. Gingerly she placed them in front of the headstone and said;

"When the library heard she got the same disease as the Horror, they paid all of her health insurance. It was too late though, even if we'd known months in advance it wouldn't have done any good. She went two weeks after he did. But they just gave the life insurance and the remainder of the health insurance to me. Now I've basically got all the money to finish my degree."

Gina got down on her knees and reached her hand out. Her fingers traced the engraving on the headstone.

"It's not worth it."

Pogo and Séance shared a look.

"You know," Gina said, "That man's considered a hero some places for making that little team. All I can say to that is that the world deserves better heroes, **she **deserved better heroes. And do you know what? I never met Ben, only ever saw him out of the corner of my eye in a library, but he did too. They deserved better than you."

Closing his eyes Pogo turned his head away.

"One thing though," she said, "I hate you both, I hope you know that. I didn't want to tell you anything, didn't think I owed you that and you were right; I don't. I probably just would've scrammed if you didn't tell me those two words Ben said; Glory be."

She stopped for a second before saying.

"Be was my nickname for her. It was a bad pun, I was the only one she allowed to do it. But I know that…that while she was alive she never told anyone. So now I know; she's told him now."

Gina sighed.

"In the very least they're together."

A stifled sob hit the air and Gina said;

"Now both of you; fuck off."

Without another word the two of them left the graveyard quietly and started the long trek back to the other one where their cab waited. After a few minutes Séance said;

"Hey, space-monkey?"

"Yes?" asked Pogo wearily.

"Remember this, okay?"

Stopping dead in his tracks Pogo turned to look at Séance. He looked concerned, upset, something like the Klaus that he had once been.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Someone needs to remember this," he said, "Someone who knew him needs to remember. I won't; I know I won't. So I'm begging you to remember. Don't tell anyone, just remember."

Sadly Pogo shook his head and continued walking.

"I remember everything," he said, suddenly feeling very old and worn, "I remember everything no matter who forgets."

Séance arched an eyebrow.

"Remember what?"

Pogo sighed deeply and wiped away a single tear. It had always seemed horrible to him that he had been given human tear ducts by Hargreeves.

"Exactly," he said softly.


End file.
